(Woodstock, NY) – The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild is pleased to present Self: Portraits + Places, a three-woman exhibition of paintings, curated by Melinda Stickney-Gibson. The artists in this exhibit, Brenda Goodman, Julie Heffernan and Elisa Jensen, separately consider aspects of space and being. For Brenda Goodman, the notion of Self is mirrored by the unflinching gaze of the canvas while Julie Heffernan weaves Selfhood from the skeins of dreams and visions.  Elisa Jensen turns away from both figure and fantasy to instead place the Self squarely in the geography of light and object. Like three Fates, these artists present separate visions of Selfhood as a physical entity, a mystic mythology, or the actual spaces we inhabit. These various concepts, brought back together, encompass the layered experience of being human. 

About the Artists in SELF: Portrait + Places

Brenda Goodman: Considered “one of the most powerful and disturbing achievements of portraiture in modern art” by critic John Yau, Brenda Goodman paints herself in full-body, naked and standing alone in her own studio. These figures predate Goodman’s more recent abstract paintings and were featured in an early 2023 solo exhibition at Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, NY. www.brendagoodman.com

Julie Heffernan: The fluidity of the female form combined with the botany of the natural world merge together in the paintings of Julie Heffernan. These personal allegories become mythic tales of heroines with a strength that can control telluric currents, redirect the stars and ultimately bend destiny.Ms. Heffernan has recently had a solo exhibition at Hirschl & Adler Modern, NY, N.Y.

www.julieheffernan.net

Elisa Jensen: The serenity of space and the intimate connection to objects in our world is Elisa Jensen’s subject matter. Depicting humble domestic objects and phenomena such as a lamp, a book or a beam of yellow light through a window Jensen presents a cumulative message of who we believe we are. www.elisajensen.com

About the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild:

The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild is a regional center for the arts located in Woodstock, New York. From its 250-acre mountainside campus and its arts and performance venue located in the Kleinert/James Center for the Arts in the village of Woodstock, Byrdcliffe offers an integrated program of exhibitions, performances, classes, workshops, symposia, and artists’ residencies.The Kleinert/James Center for the Arts presents exhibitions and organizes events that honor both the cultural legacy established by the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony in 1902 as well as contemporary artists in a variety of disciplines. All exhibitions, opening receptions, and gallery talks are free and open to the public.